Eligible are only direct descendants. Spouses are not automatically eligible for Latvian citizenship unless they are of Latvian descent too. However, spouses of EU citizens may get a temporary or permanent residence in Latvia or, subject to certain conditions, in another EU country, if the EU citizen exercises his/her freedom of movement rights under the EU laws.

It depends on what were the reasons of the rejection. A rejection of the citizenship application can be appealed to the Latvian court. From time to time we have to take the Citizenship Office to the court to argue the cases for our clients where we disagree with the motivation of the Citizenship Office or with their interpretation of the law or of the particular circumstances of the client’s case. Please feel free to contact us for the assessment of your case.

You have the right to appeal against the deprivation of Latvian citizenship, if you disagree with the decision or if you wish to remain a Latvian citizen. It largely depends on what were the grounds to deprive you of Latvian citizenship. A loss of citizenship may be caused by different factors. For example, the Citizenship Office may not have full details about your case or they may be right or wrong in their interpretation of the law. So it may have to be tested in the court. Please feel free to contact us for the assessment of your case.

It may depend on what category is used to apply, but generally children (applicants under 18) can obtain dual citizenship regardless of when they were born. Certain conditions apply though. Also it may depend on the country of the child’s current citizenship. The following 3 scenarios explain it best:

Yes, if your ancestors have held Latvian citizenship on the moment of 17 June 1940 and you or they left Latvia due to German or USSR occupation or were deported at any point of time from 17 June 1940 to 4 May 1990.

Yes, you may still qualify for Latvian citizenship under the category “Descendant of a Latvian citizen”, but in this case, considering that they left before 17 June 1940, your rights to keep dual (multiple) citizenship will depend on your current citizenship. If you are applying as a citizen of a “permitted country”, you will be able to keep dual (multiple) citizenship with Latvia. A “permitted country” is Brazil, New Zealand, Australia and any member state of NATO, EU or EFTA. For citizens of any other country dual citizenship is allowed if the applicant qualifies under the “Latvian exile” or “Ethnic Latvian” category or if the applicant is a minor.

We are of the opinion that the definition of a “Latvian exile” shall (subject to certain conditions) also extend to those Latvian citizens who stayed outside Latvia on the moment of 17 June 1940 and were unable to return to Latvia because of the occupation regime. So you might qualify under the “Latvian exile” category. However, a recourse to the Latvian courts may be required. Your eligibility for dual citizenship may also depend on the country of your current citizenship. Please inquire for more information as each case is different.

Subject to certain conditions Latvia does allow dual (multiple) citizenship with any country, including Israel. If the Israeli citizen applies for Latvian citizenship under the “Latvian exile” category because his/her ancestors were Latvian citizens and were forced to leave Latvia sometime between 17 June 1940 – 4 May 1990, then dual citizenship Israeli-Latvian is allowed.

No, if you are applying under the “Latvian exile” or “Descendant of a Latvian citizen” category.

If you are a citizen of Brazil, New Zealand, Australia or of any member state of NATO, EU or EFTA and you meet other qualifying requirements (i.e. your ancestors were Latvian citizens on 17 June 1940), then you can apply for dual citizenship even if you or your ancestors left Latvia after 4 May 1990.

If you are a citizen of any other country, then you can still apply for Latvian citizenship, but you will be required to renounce your current citizenship in order to obtain Latvian. However, we are of the opinion that the correct interpretation of the definition of a “Latvian exile” shall (subject to certain conditions) extend also to former Latvian citizens who have left Latvia after 4 May 1990 fleeing the occupation regime. A recourse to the court in this case will be required though. Please inquire by email for more information.

Latvia does not tax worldwide income of its non-resident citizens.

No.